Purification of oxidation products



Patented Feb. 4, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PURIFICATION OF OXIDATION PRODUCTS Joseph Hidy James, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignor to Clarence P. Byrnes, trustee In various granted No Drawing. Application July 15, 1933, Serial No. 680,668

. '7 Claims.

patents including reissue several passes through heatedreaction zones in the presence of oxygen, producing oxygen derivatives of hydrocarbons in the range from alcohols to oxygenated fatty'acids, including aldehydes, esters, ethers and various other compounds. Amon these products are bodies suitable for lubricants, being substitutes for blends of fatty oils or fatty acids with hydrocarbon oils. For some purposes, the oily partial oxidation product may be used by simply distilling off the lightest portions; the

presence of which would lower the viscosity of the lubricant.

The present application relates to purifying the product, particularly for the production of stable lubricants or stable lubricant addition substances, and is especially designed to withstand the severe conditions of internal In the oily product,

combustion engines. there are certain reactive compounds formed which, under the high temperature conditions in internal combustion engines, form gummy-or resinous substances.

I have discovered that if the oxidized oil or a portion thereof remaining after distilling off the most volatile portions be treated at a relatively high temperature with a small percentage of concentrated sulphuric acid, I can obtain substantially complete removal of the gum-forming compounds, with no harmful effects on the remaining components of the oily product.

As a rule, this treatment does not leave appreciable quantities of sulphonates (oil-soluble sulphonates) in the oil.- The sulphuric acid treatment is preferably followed by several washes with saturated sodium sulphate solution to remove the excessof free sulphuric acid. The oil is then preferably neutralized with sodium hydroxide solution. If it is soluble sulphonates (soaps), the oil may then be desired to remove the oilwashed with a 50-50 alcohol water mixture until these sulphonates are The lubricant oil is removed. now ready for use and has the character of a hydrocarbon fatty oil or a hydrocarbon-fatty acid blend, because of the presence of oxygenated bodies.

I may apply this procedure to any petroleum fraction, even to the heaviest lubricating oils that can be vaporized for passing through the oxidation process. I have even successfully applied it to partially oxidized petrolatum which is at present produced in large quantities as a byproduct in the lubricating oil industry. I propose to add the oil prepared as lubricating oil to inc more difilcult service, be used.

above to ordinary mineral rease its oiliness", or for the prepared oil itself may lubricant: 10

, Example A a A sample of light lubricating oil was used as the raw material. It had the following characteristics:

The specific gravity at 60 F. was .854.

The Engler distillation of the oil was as follows Initial 352 C.

% 363 C. 20 364 C. 367 C. 370 C. 311 C. 373 C. 25 40%---- 375 C. 380 C. 384 C. 390 C. 397 C. 30 410 C. End 415 C.

Initial 87 0. 45 5% 0. 10% 0. 13% 200 c. 15%- 20': c. 50 20% 215 0. 25% 217 0. 30% 292 c. 32% 300 0.

The portion above 300 C. was taken for sul- 55 phuric acid treatment as above described. It may be noted that the portion under 200 C. is suitable for solvent stock and that the portion between 200 C. and 300 C. is usually taken back and reoxidized by my partial oxidation process 60 with fresh hydrocarbon additions. A motor fuel fraction may also be obtained, and it' or any fraction purified by my further treatment herein described. The purified motor fuel fraction may also be used for blending with other motor fuels, as set forth, for example, in my Patent No. 1,716,272.

In the sulphuric acid treatment, 500 cc. of the above oxidized oil distilling over 300 C. was treated at 82 C. with 12.5 cc. of 98% sulphuric acid. After cooling, the oil measured 420 cc. This was washed with sodium sulphate solution, as above described, and finally neutralized and the soaps (of the sulphonates) extracted by washing with the 50-50 alcoholwater solution. On decanting, the resulting oil showed oiliness characteristics like the mineral oils blended with fatty oils or fatty acids. For example, on a bearing test where the original oil broke down at 1200 pounds per square inch, this prepared oil broke down at 24,000 pounds per square inch. I have obtained similar results from a wide range of fractions of different average molecular weights.

Changes may be made in the process of partial oxidation; all of the oily products or a fraction thereof may be purified; certain steps may be omitted; the temperature may be varied, and other changes may be made within the scope of my invention as defined in my claims.

. I claim:

1. In the treatment of oily liquid partial oxidation products containing oxygen derivatives of aliphatic hydrocarbons to produce a lubricant, the steps consisting of fractioning said oily liquid products into fractions. of different average molecular weight containing similar bodies in the range from alcohols to oxygenated acids, reacting a heavier fraction with a relatively small percentage of sulphuric acid at a temperature materially above C., removing excess free sulphuric acid, and then removing oil-soluble sulphonates, leaving a lubricant substantially free from gum-forming compounds .and oil-soluble sulphonates but containing oxygenated acids.

2. In the treatment of oily liquid partial oxidation products containing oxygen derivatives of aliphatic hydrocarbons to produce a lubricant, the steps consisting of fractioning said oily liquid products into fractions of diflerent average molecular I range from alcohols to oxygenated acids, reacting a heavier fraction with sulphuric acid of an amount which is small relative to the amount of oily liquid products and at a temperature above 45 C., removing excess free sulphuric acid by weight containing similar bodies in the treating with sodium sulphate solution, and then removing oil-soluble sulphonates, leaving a lubricant substantially free from gumforming compounds and oil-soluble sulphonates but containing oxygenated acids.

3. A liquid lubricantcontaining a heavier fraction of an oily liquid partial oxidation product of aliphatic hydrocarbons in the range from alcohols to acids, said fraction having gum-forming compounds removed by sulphuric acid treatment and being substantially free from sulphonates.

4. A liquid aliphatic hydrocarbon containing a fraction of a liquid partial oxidation product of liquid aliphatic hydrocarbons in the range from alcohols to acids, said fraction being free from gum-forming compounds and sulphonates.

5. In the treatment of oily liquid partial oxidation products derived from mineral oil and containing oxygen derivatives of aliphatic hydrocarbons to produce a lubricant, the steps consisting of fractioning said oily liquid products into fractions of different average molecular weight containing similar bodies in the range from alcohols to oxygenated acids, reacting a heavier fraction with a relatively small percentage of sulphuric acid at a temperature materially above 45 C., removing excess free sulphuric acid, and then removing oil-soluble sulphonates leaving a lubricant substantially free from gum-forming compounds and oil-soluble sulphonates but containing oxygenated acids.

6. In the treatment of oily liquid oxidation products derived from mineral oil and containing oxygen derivatives of aliphatic hydrocarbons to produce a lubricant, the steps consisting of fractioning said oily liquid products into fractions of different average molecular weight containing similar bodies in the range from alcohols to oxygenated acids, reacting a heavier fraction with sulphuric acid of an amount which is small 40 relative to the amount of the oily liquid products and materially above 45 C., removing excess free sulphuric acid by treating with sodium sulphate solution, and then removing oil-soluble sulphonates leaving a lubricant substantially free 45 from gum-forming and oil-soluble sulphonates but containing oxygenated acids.

7. A liquid lubricant containing a fraction of an oily liquid partial oxidation aliphatic hydrocarbons in the range from alcohols to acids, said fraction having gum-forming compounds removed and being substantially free from sulphonates.

JOSEPH HIDY JAMES.

product of liquid 

